Arts Council England commissioned SDG Economic Development to carry out case study research that explores the relationship between the arts and culture sector and the creative industries. The case studies explore partnerships and alliances, the transfer of skills and staff, and the trading of goods and services between organisations in the arts and culture sector and businesses in the creative industries sector.

Novak-Leonard and Skaggs developed and pilot tested survey indicators to gauge public perceptions of artists within communities. In this article, they describe the indicators, report on the national pilot test topline results, and discuss the indicators’ merits to be used over time drawing from the pilot test results. Understanding public perceptions of artists within communities can inform and influence policies supporting artists’ work and offer a means to monitor shifts to the larger arts and cultural policy paradigm in the U.S.

Not Just Murals draws upon a literature review, interviews with 15 artists leading in different facets of community development, and conversations with experts who have unique insights into regional and national context and trends. The interviews and examples draw heavily from two locales in the LISC network that are exceptionally fertile ground for artists taking up the mantle of leadership in community development, Minnesota’s Twin Cities and Philadelphia, as well as several projects and artists in the South that have received support from Alternate ROOTS, a regional arts service organization that provides artist leaders with training and resources at the intersection of arts and social justice.

Building on our programme of research on creative ecosystems, this report makes a significant contribution to recent debates concerning the value of understanding the cultural sector ecologically and provides new ways to interpret how cultural opportunities operate for young people within cultural ecosystems. It focuses on young people within the London Borough of Harrow, showing how issues related to space, place and mobility, relationships and institutions, knowledge production and cultural agency impact on young people’s cultural learning.

The executive summary of our social impact evaluation of the four pilot projects of our Community Inspiration Program (CIP). From this report you will learn how our CIP artists and communities carried out these outstanding projects.